Esme Beringer (5 September 1875 – 31 March 1972) was an English actress who was noted for her

bartitsu Bartitsu is an wikt:eclectic, eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane fighting and French kickboxing (savate). In 1903, it was immortalised (as "barit ...

fencing skills.

Early life

Esme Beringer was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the daughter of pianist

Oscar Beringer Oscar Beringer (14 July 1844 – 21 February 1922) was an English pianist and teacher of German descent. He was born in Furtwangen in the Black Forest, but by 1849 he had moved to London when his father became a political refugee. Due to impo ...

and novelist and playwright Aimée Daniell Beringer.Johnson Briscoe
"September 5: Esme Beringer"
''The Actor's Birthday Book'' (Moffat, Yard 1907): 200. Her younger sister

Vera Beringer Vera Beringer (2 March 1878 – 29 January 1964) was a British actress and writer. As a child she became well-known for playing Little Lord Fauntleroy on the London stage. Later she was a playwright, sometimes using the byline Henry Seton. Ear ...

was best known as a child actress."Vera Beringer"
''The Era Annual'' (1897): 29. Her brother Guy Beringer was a journalist; he is credited with coining the word "brunch" in 1895.

Career

Esme Beringer first appeared on stage in 1888, as a boy character, Dick Tipton, in ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (she also substituted for the title character, usually played by her sister). By 1893 she was very active on the London stage. Beringer's athletic physique and extensive training with swords made her well-suited to breeches roles, as when she played

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...

in 1896 (opposite her sister Vera as

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist R ...

). Other stage appearances by Beringer included ''The Prince and the Pauper'' (1890), ''Foreign Policy'' (1893, by

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

), ''Bud and Blossom'' (1893, by

Gertrude Elizabeth Blood Gertrude Elizabeth, Lady Colin Campbell (''née'' Blood; 3 May 1857 – 1 November 1911) was an Irish-born journalist, author, playwright, and editor. She was married to Lord Colin Campbell, a brother-in-law of Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's ...

), ''Three Wayfarers'' (1893, by

Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...

), ''Bess'' (1893), ''Hypatia'' (1893), ''The Gentleman Whip'', ''The New Boy'', ''Loyal'', ''Hal the Highwayman'', ''The Lady's Idol'', ''The Strange Adventures of Miss Brown'', ''The Benefit of the Doubt'', ''The Late Mr. Castello'', ''Gossip'' (1896), ''A Mother of Three'', ''Woman's World'', ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ''The Last of his Race'', ''The Winter's Tale'', ''Saviolo'' (1902, by

Egerton Castle __NOTOC__ Egerton Castle M.A., F.S.A. (12 March 1858 – 16 September 1920) was an author, antiquarian, and swordsman, and an early practitioner of reconstructed historical fencing, frequently in collaboration with his colleague Captain Alfred ...

), ''The Trifler'' (1905), ''The Anarchist'' (1908), ''The Blue Stockings'' (1913), and ''Lucky Jim'' (1916). She also performed in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

, in ''The Point of the Sword''. Beringer was an enthusiastic fencer who studied historical swordplay with

Alfred Hutton Alfred Hutton FSA (10 March 1839 – 18 December 1910) was a Victorian officer of the King's Dragoon Guards, writer, antiquarian, and swordsman. He originated the first English revival of historical fencing, together with his colleagues Eger ...

as well as his colleague

and was likely a member of the

Bartitsu Bartitsu is an wikt:eclectic, eclectic martial art and self-defence method originally developed in England in 1898–1902, combining elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane fighting and French kickboxing (savate). In 1903, it was immortalised (as "barit ...

Club. She participated in a number of historical fencing lectures and displays during the 1890s and early 1900s and also taught classes for the "Actresses' Foil Club" during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the war, she starred in more Shakespearean roles, including "Constance" in '' King John'' (1925) opposite

Henry Baynton Henry Baynton (23 September 1892 in Moseley in Warwickshire, England – 2 January 1951 in London) was a British Shakespearean actor and actor-manager of the early 20th century who in a stage career lasting 40 years is credited with playing ...

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''The Manchester Guardian'' (September 23, 1925): 1. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

Esme Beringer's film appearances included ''All the World's a Stage'' (1917), ''

The October Man ''The October Man'' is a 1947 mystery film/film noir starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, written by novelist Eric Ambler, who also produced. A man is suspected of murder, and the lingering effects of a brain injury he sustained in an earlier ...

'' (1947), ''

Something in the City ''Something in the City'' is a 1950 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Richard Hearne, Garry Marsh and Ellen Pollock. It includes an early uncredited performance by Stanley Baker as a police constable. Plot Mr Ningle h ...

'' (1950), and '' Castle in the Air'' (1952). She also made some early television appearances, in ''Craven House'' (1950), and ''The Monster of Killoon'' (1952, by

Geoffrey Kerr Geoffrey Kerr (born Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen; 26 January 1895 – 1 July 1971) was a British stage and film actor and writer during the middle of the 20th century. Early life Geoffrey Kemble Grinham Keen was born on 26 January 1895, in Lond ...

Personal life

Esme Beringer died in 1972, aged 96 years.

References

External links

*
Esme Beringer's filmography at BFI

Three photographs of Esme Beringer
are in the collection of the

National Portrait Gallery (London) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

.
A cigarette card featuring Esme Beringer
from the New York Public Library Digital Collections. {{authority control 1875 births 1972 deaths English actresses Actresses from London